The state of Maine will receive about $10.5 million in federal infrastructure funds to preserve saltwater marshes and repair aging culverts.
The announcement came on Earth Day, and in the aftermath of three severe winter storms that Mainers are still recovering from.
The Maine projects are among 30 coastal restoration awards announced Monday by the White House and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"We've really started to learn that marshes aren't something that we just go to visit, go for a hike, take a canoe, but these are places that protect our critical coastal habitats, and it's very important for us to protect them," said Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, who was part of the group of federal and state officials who turned out at the Scarborough Marsh to celebrate the awards.
The Scarborough Land Trust said Monday that its $1.4 million grant award will fund a variety of restoration and conservation projects at the marsh. The funds, for example, will help local transportation officials make decisions about road placement as the marsh and coastal wildlife migrate due to sea level rise.
Nearly $5 million will improve fish passage and replace aging culverts in Brunswick and Perry. And in Wells, nearly $3 million will conserve 18 acres of coastal marshland and rebuild a municipal bridge damaged in recent flooding.
